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A proposal for a new park system connecting various green spaces along a hydro corridor on the west side of Toronto has taken a major step forward at the outset of 2017. The idea for the Green Line, which takes inspiration from New York's High Line, dates back to 2012, but now there's finally a budget and design team in place to realize the vision.

The corridor in question spans from Lansdowne to Spadina where there's already a series of mostly uninspired green spaces that lack cohesion. When you look at an aerial view of the area in question, it's easy to understand why officially connecting them makes so much sense.

Since Park People started advocating for the project in 2014, a number of steps have been made toward bringing the concept to life, but developments on the horizon are set to be the most significant yet.

Design firm DTAH has been brought on to work with the city and Park People on the Green Line Implementation plan, which will "identify opportunities for connections, new green spaces, and creating a continuous trail."

As of yet, there's no master vision for the linear park system, but DTAH will be tasked with putting one together in conjunction with community consultation that will determine what users want most from the new green space.

The best part of all of these plans is that they're funded. There's $1.5 million set aside for the implementation plan as well as some design and construction work. That won't cover all the costs associated with the project, but it's enough to make significant strides towards its eventual completion.

Toronto has some very ambitious plans for parks in the works right now, but the Green Line is quietly starting to take shape.